First Day on the Job (Nira'lia)

[Cael]

Cael was smiling at first, completely unaware of what had happened. When she admitted that he'd kissed her, his first reaction was to feel sheepish. He hadn't meant to do that, after all. He had no idea why he would do something so-- "You called me by your goddess's name," she said. His heart almost stopped. That was a secret he'd never told anyone. Dark, royal blue strands of fear began creeping into his eyes. Her laughter brought on humiliation, anger, and despair. "Of course I know that," he said, voice flat, almost menacing. "I know that very well." By this point his eyes had become completely monochromatic. Now longer did various shades of blues and greens dance within their lights. His eyes were impassive, angry, hurt. He felt the anger rise. Her laughter echoed in his ears, taunting him, demeaning him, challenging him. Before he realized what he was doing, he had a hand around her throat, pressing her up against a wall. "Don't you laugh at me," he hissed, his voice completely opposite of the jovial tones it once had. "Don't you ever laugh at me!" He was almost screaming now. A part of him wanted to stop, to apologize and go back. He didn't want to hurt anyone. But it was too late. A fire was burning in his veins and he couldn't stop it, couldn't control it. "Who would you prefer I had?" he asked. "You?" He shook her a little for emphasis. He loosened his hold a little, enough so she could breathe. "Yes, with your light hair and pale features, you almost resemble her." Cael was quieter this time. He sounded almost calm, as if he were discussing the weather. She's so fragile, he realized vaguely. I could burn her right now...release the fire from my fingertips and... He felt the res come from his hands, the gel-like substance sticking to her skin. I could ignite it right now, he thought. Burn her to ashes. Suddenly, he felt sick. His senses came back to him and he pulled his hand away. His eyes broke their solid shade and became a mess of swirling, pulsing colors once more. He stepped away from her, a look of fear and shame clear in his eyes. He bent over and retched, unable to stand what he almost did. Oh gods, what's happening to me? he wondered in agony. "I'm sorry," he rasped. He spit on the ground, the taste of sick still present in his mouth. "Please just go," he whispered. "Just go before I hurt you again." He put his head in his hands, his shoulders drooping. This was the very image of a man broken.

[Nira'lia]

Nira'lia wasn't laughing at him. She didn't even know why she had chuckled. It was a defence mechanism that even she couldn't explain, nor did she know about it, and the consequences of her action were one that she had not expected. Nira'lia never even thought for one second that she would anger him. "Cael..." she rasped out, trembling. Nira'lia was a frail girl, and Cael's grip on her was one she couldn't escape. Other than that, she didn't even try to escape – she was too frightened to do anything. His words, actions, even his eyes made her tremble. He wasn't gripping her too tightly that she couldn't breathe, but she felt the strange substance on her neck, and her eyes widened. He needed to stop. When he finally let her go, she slumped away from him with relief. She continued to stare at him, her eyes still wide. Nira'lia opened her mouth to say something, but initially, no words came out. Too stunned to speak, she simply watched him as she recomposed herself. As she looked at him, there was only one lingering feeling present aside from fear and surprise – and that was pity. Nira'lia took a glance around the street and saw that there was nobody around. Nobody had seen what had happened, and she was thankful. Nira'lia was still frightened, but she couldn't bring it to herself to just leave, even when he asked for it. It was in her nature to feel concerned for the wounded, and that was the type of person Cael was to her. Cautiously, she stepped towards him and put her arms around him. She didn't know why, and he could possibly react violently, but she just wanted to do it. "Cael, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to laugh..." she said softly and carefully. Nira'lia tightened her arms around him. He was broken and violent, and she wanted to comfort him, and also apologize for her offense. "I'm sorry. It's not silly at all. That was very rude of me."

[Cael]

Cael relaxed slowly. Her embrace felt...nice. He sighed softly, almost silently as all the pain and rage drained out of his body. "Thank you," he said quietly. he felt calm now. He felt as if her touch was healing him, keeping him together. His eyes stayed closed, but only so he could better concentrate on her warm embrace. She smelled nice, he realized. It wasn't perfume or anything; it was simply her natural scent. He was reminded of the sea a little. Do all Konti smell as good as this? he wondered dreamily. Thinking back to what he said in anger, he realized he'd been right about one thing, at least. Nira'lia was very beautiful. Her features were not divine, but they were lovely. "Why...How can you be this way to me?" he murmured in confusion. "After what I did to you...aren't you afraid of me?" His voice betrayed his fragile state of mind. He didn't want to be full of such negative emotions. Scaring such a gentle creature filled him with self loathing. I wish she didn't have to leave. The thought was sudden and surprising. Even more surprising, Cael realized it was completely true. While he could never love any woman the way he loved Morwen, he also admitted that he might feel a certain...attraction for this woman. Too late now, he thought bitterly. I've already ruined any chances I might have had...

[Nira'lia]

He slowly calmed down, and Nira'lia could sense it. Even if it wasn't evident, her insides were in turmoil as well. She hid it well behind a concerned face, but she felt that he could burst at any minute. Nira'lia unconsciously stroked his hair as she listened to him speak. "I-I'm terrified..." she responded with admission. "But it was my fault in the first place." Nira'lia was utterly relieved that he was recomposing himself. Forcing back a sigh of relief, she pulled away from him and peered at his eyes, attempting to see if it still signalled a sense of turmoil within him. "I have to go, I can't stand the heat," she replied. It was the truth – as a daughter of the sea, she found that she couldn't tolerate staying too long outside in the sun. It was incredibly uncomfortable for her. "Will you be okay?" The Konti looked at him. She was hesitating, afraid to open the can of worms a second time. However, what if he needed someone to listen to him? She wanted to tell him that he couldn't react that way every time someone found out his secret. He needed to keep it in check. She didn't tell him these things – Nira'lia felt it wasn't the right time. Instead, she asked, "Actually... do you want to talk about it?"

[Cael]

Her admission surprised him, but was somehow comforting. It was nice to know that she was being honest. Her bravery humbled him and he felt thankful that she had come along when she had. Cael opened his eyes and smiled shyly. They were back to their normal electric blue with lighter shades swirling slowly around the center. He didn't want her to go. The way she stroked his hair was incredibly relaxing. Looking up at the sun, though, he understood her need to leave. It really was incredibly hot. "You should go," he said softly. "But maybe..." He licked his lips shyly, trying to find a way to phrase what he wanted to say. "Maybe I could see you again before you leave?" he said. "Or perhaps we could just write to each other," he added after a thought. "It...it may not be safe around me," he admitted shamefully.

[Nira'lia]

Nira'lia smiled at him brightly. She was thankful that despite what had happened, he still thought they could be friends. The thought comforted her. She leaned down and took the waterskin in her hands again, expecting the sermon she would receive once she came home without a full container. "Of course we can see each other again, that would be great! If we could squeeze some time in, that is... you're probably really busy, and I'm taking care of a lot of things as well. My memory's not too good, but you can tell me your address, and I'll jot it down on paper as soon as I get home, " said the Konti cheerfully. She took a moment to remember where she would be staying in Alvadas. It was an inn, and the name started with a letter 'c'. She planned to stay there until she saved enough money to get her own place – if she decided to stay in Alvadas in the long run. "Cubacious inn!" she exclaimed, remembering the name of the inn. "That's where I'm going to be staying... I mean, if... if you want to write, that is...." The Konti continued to beam at him. She had to leave, but it wasn't because she thought it was unsafe to be around him. Nira'lia gave a slight wave of the hand to say farewell.

[Cael]

Smiling in relief, Cael nodded. "I'll remember," he said, referring to the name of the inn. "I will be staying in the University dorm when the next season starts," he told her. "I look forward to becoming friends," he said. Cael couldn't help but smile as he watched her walk off. "My Aquiras protect you on your journey," he whispered in Vani, the prayers coming automatically. "Thank you, Morwen, for allowing me to meet her." He waited until Nira'lia was out of sight before turning around and going home. He was finished for the day and was in need of a good rest. His tent may not have been the most comfortable place to sleep, but right now he didn't care. He had a feeling he'd need a good rest in the days to come.

[Echelon]

Adventurer's Loot A Gift Experience is its own reward. Cael's Loot : Cael Skill XP Reward Observation +1XP Unarmed Combat +1XP Intimidation +1XP Lore: Strength From The Gods Reimancy in Public Mira'lia: Has Mage Friends Shame to Morwen Items or Consequences: -5CM Notes: Cael. Air Reimancy is no replacement for good old fashion rope and pulleys. The amount of Reimancy necessary for the job of moving large stone about would be... a lot. And, it would requite much more preparation than just waving your hands around a little. You may use the res to slip between two surfaces, then expand it into a pocket of air to slide it about, with some focus, and time (and figuring out how to get it down there) or to give it a little boost up, but nothing this effortless without strong repercussions. It would actually take much more effort to use Reimancy to move a boulder, than it would to lift it. Air Reimancy it used to move light objects with large surface area (Like sailboats, or people, or... not much else.) Earth Reimancy is used in construction. Explaining where the stones came from would have been helpful. It is, even in Zeltiva, very wise, and very uncharacteristic of a mage to share so much about their trade. I'm not going to give you any Reimancy skills in this thread, because it would force Cael to overgive much more than represented here. If you wish to edit the thread, you may put it in for grading once more, and we will reconsider. I suggest reading some other reimancer's threads first though, to get a feel for how reimancy progression works. Nira'lia's Loot : Nira'lia Skill XP Reward Medicine +2XP Observation +2XP Sociology +1XP Leadership +1XP Lore: Charity to Strangers Morwen: Goddess of Winter Morwen: Appearance of Gnosis Vantha: Morwen's People Cael: Reimancer Overgiving: Symptoms Gift: Cael's Moment Items or Consequences: +5CM Notes: You maintained your usual quality of writing well, circumstances considered. Bravo (This thread should have been corrected much sooner than now, I'm sorry it wasn't caught. Nira'lia I could tell you were hesitant about how he portrayed Reimancy. It isn't your responsibility to police other players, but advice should have been given. And if it was, Cael should have taken it, or at least looked farther into the expectations of him while playing a Reimancer. I am not angry, I am just regretful that I couldn't give the skills it's obvious you all wanted. I wish you more luck in the future, the invitation to contact me with questions goes doubly for you, Cael.) - if you have ANY questions or concerns about this grading, please PM me.